High Value Data Gleaned from Blood Coagulation Studies

Recent research (1,2) that has associated very high plasma viscosity in critically ill Covid-19 patients with thrombotic complications and abnormal blood coagulation, have boosted the  potential use of clinical viscosity diagnostic instruments for providing meaningful data in the fight against the virus.  By measuring the thickness or resistance to flow of biological fluids researchers found that some patients had experienced a rise in plasma viscosity due to an increased concentration of the clotting protein fibrinogen; this could explain why a large proportion of the deaths from Covid-19 are from thrombotic episodes and not from pulmonary disorders, which are recognised major risk factors for patients in this current pandemic.

A company in Wales, Benson Viscometers, has seen increased interest both nationally and internationally in its clinical viscometers for this purpose; equipment in the UK is being used at Addenbrookes Hospital and by Health Services Laboratories, a partnership between the Australian company TDL (The Doctors Laboratory), UCLH (University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust), The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and North Middlesex University Hospital. The group is using the plasma viscosity test to monitor inflammatory status in certain groups of Covid-19 patients and is exploring the possibility that high inflammatory markers might indicate the need for alternative strategies for stroke prevention in these patients.

Bernie Benson, founder of the Haverfordwest-based manufacturer of clinical viscometers, said: "I am extremely excited and encouraged by the passion and enthusiasm of so many scientists around the world as they work together to determine an understanding of the mysteries of Covid-19.

“We have always believed that clinical viscosity testing, and plasma viscosity testing in particular, has so much more to offer our healthcare system. I am confident pathology laboratories will invest the time and energy in this research and find the significant breakthrough in outcomes for critically ill patients and that the world is now waking up to the huge value of this clinical viscosity testing in general."

(1) The Lancet May 25: COVID-19-associated hyperviscosity: a link between inflammation and thrombophilia? Cheryl L Maier, Alexander D Truong, Sara C Auld, Derek M Polly, Christin-Lauren Tanksley, Alexander Duncan

(2) Newsweek, May 28